A Rose By Any Other Name
by Siara Elen
Summary: Snow has accepted Charming's marriage proposal, but there's something he really needs to tell her before it's too late to turn back: His name is not James and he's not really a prince... I'm sure eventually we'll get to see this scene on the show, but until then, this is keeping me going in my romantic fairytale daydreams. I hope you enjoy it too.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I wish I had a knack for clever story titles but sadly I don't, so I'm stealing Shakespeare's famous line because I'm willing to bet that our Prince Charming smells very sweet indeed by any name. What I do have, however, is an impatience to see the scene where Charming tells Snow that his real name is David and he's a shepherd. I'm sure they'll get around to filming it one of these days, but I just can't wait, so here's my version of how it happened.**

**Not beta read, because, as I said: impatient! Hopefully I've done a reasonable job of proofreading though.**

**Disclaimer: Once Upon a Time is not mine. This story is just for kicks, not for coins.**

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><p><strong>A Rose By Any Other Name<strong>

**Once Upon a Time, in the Enchanted Forest, there lived a princess, who, after many years of running and hiding from her evil stepmother, had found her heart's home with her one true love...**

Snow paced impatiently as the darkness finally began to fade and a tinge of pink appeared on the horizon to the east. She hadn't slept a wink all night, too full of plans of happiness and love.

She was getting married! She was engaged to her Prince Charming, her True Love; the bravest, truest soul she'd ever met. And he loved her, he'd saved her over and over, her life, her heart and her soul, and then he'd asked her to marry him.

She was wearing his mother's ring.

Nobody in all the realms could possibly be, or ever have been as happy or as deeply in love as she was.

It had been so hard to say goodnight and watch him head for the tent he was going to sleep in with the dwarves while she went to the smaller tent they'd set up for her.

She and Charming were engaged! Their hearts were joined in a joyous vow of love. Surely that meant they should be together every moment from now on. But no, apparently propriety dictated that they shouldn't spend the night together until they were formally married. Stupid propriety!

She'd watched him by the waning light of the embers of their fire, memorising his stride, until he paused and turned to wave and smile and then disappear through the tent flap. Then she'd gone to her tent, laid down in her bed and tried to relax and sleep, but all she could think about was the fact that he was so close by, just a few yards across the clearing, but not in her arms.

She'd rolled from one side to the other, then on to her back and then her front, trying to get comfortable. She'd got another blanket, then thrown it off. She'd tried to fall asleep and dream of him, she really had, but she just couldn't relax because she kept thinking about their future. Their wedding, their home, their children.

She couldn't wait for the morning, so instead of fighting a losing battle, she'd wrapped herself in a blanket and gone to sit at the edge of the lake and indulge her daydreams until sunrise, when she could see him again.

She thought about growing old together and how handsome he'd be with grey hair and how he'd still smile at her in that way that crinkled his eyes and caused her breath to catch in her chest.

And now it was almost sunrise. A few more minutes and she'd see him again. He would pull her into his strong arms and kiss her good morning and then she'd lay her head on his chest, feeling his warmth, hearing his heart beat with his love for her.

'Morning!' The first voice she heard was Happy's cheerful greeting and she tried not to be disappointed. He was followed out by Grumpy, who barely managed a grunt rather than actual words. Then the rest of the dwarves. But no Charming yet.

She busied herself with collecting water to heat on the fire that Bashful was starting, but every few seconds, her eyes were drawn to the tent, expecting to see him emerging.

Then breakfast was almost ready and he still hadn't joined them.

'He's still sleeping,' Grumpy said rolling his eyes as her gaze slid to the tent for about the thousandth time. 'Looks like you got yourself stuck with a lazy layabout prince for a fiancé.'

She'd kind of been hoping that like her, he'd been awake all night counting the seconds until he could see her again, and she had to admit she was a little hurt that Charming didn't seem as excited to see her as she was to see him, but, she told herself sternly, some people just weren't early risers.

'Not everyone's a morning person, Grumpy,' she defended.

'Humpf,' he replied.

'I'm going to go wake him for breakfast,' she said, finally deciding she couldn't wait a moment longer.

Snow ducked through the tent flap and passed each of the seven bedrolls, each blanket embroidered with each of the dwarves' names until she reached Charming, still curled up on his own bedroll at the far end of the tent.

She knelt down next to him and for a moment she just looked at him. He was so beautiful it took her breath away. He was lying on his side, his face half buried in his pillow, one hand resting next to it, his fingers loosely curled. He looked so peaceful she almost didn't want to wake him, but they had a long day ahead of them, planning their campaign to take back the kingdoms from Regina and George, and they'd need their breakfast to keep their strength up.

'Hey sleeping beauty,' she called softly, but he slept on. 'Charming?'

She stroked his forehead, and frowned. His skin was much hotter than she would have expected.

'Oh my goodness, you have a fever!' she exclaimed.

She was considering what to do next when she caught movement out of the corner of her eye. She turned to see Grumpy approaching but wasn't fast enough to prevent him from emptying out a full bucket of freezing lake water over her sleeping fiancé's head.

'That ought to do it,' Grumpy declared as Charming bolted upright in bed, gasping in shock.

'Grumpy!' Snow protested helplessly.

'What's happening?' Charming gasped, blinking water from his eyes and trying reorient himself.

'Hey, it's ok,' Snow reassured him, stroking his arm. 'What were you thinking, Grumpy?'

'You wanted him up; he's up!' Grumpy said; palms up indicating Charming's wakefulness as evidence in his own defence.

'Grumpy, he's not being lazy. He's sick, he has a fever!' Snow remonstrated.

'I'm not sick,' Charming insisted, then put a hand to his pounding head and groaned.

'Ugh, maybe I'm a little sick,' he admitted grudgingly, rubbing his eyes.

'Sorry, I didn't realise!' Grumpy said, a little abashed.

'S' ok,' Charming mumbled, flopping back down and closing his eyes again.

'Hey, don't lie down there. You can't sleep in a wet bed. You'll get even sicker,' Snow said. 'Come on, I'll help you up, you can sleep in my bed until this one's dry again.'

As she took hold of his shoulder to help pull him up, Charming's eyes flew open and he let out a hiss as he flinched away from her touch.

She pulled back as though burned. 'Charming? What's the matter?'

'It's ok, sorry, you took me by surprise,' he said, kicking himself. He really hadn't wanted to worry her.

'Are you hurt?' she asked, her voice full of concern.

'It's fine, it's just taking a while to heal, it got a little infected...' he said, sighing as she moved her hand slowly back towards his shoulder to push aside his shirt. There was no avoiding this.

'Oh my god, my arrow!' she exclaimed, wincing at the sight of the wound and horrified that she hadn't remembered and thought to check on the injury already. She'd just got so caught up in the joy of their reunion and his proposal.

'I'm so sorry, Charming. Grumpy, can you go and get Doc please?' she asked. Grumpy nodded and picked up his bucket.

'It really isn't that bad,' Charming asserted.

'Not that bad? You have an infected arrow wound and a pretty high fever.'

'Ok, it's not great I'll admit, but there's nothing for you to apologise for. It wasn't your fault.'

'Well I guess that's true. I wasn't aiming for you after all,' she managed a wry smile.

'Exactly,' he smiled back.

'How did it get so bad?' She remembered King George's knight roughly yanking the arrow out, but it looked like even more damage had been done since then, the wound was torn and the flesh was red and swollen with red lines of infection spreading out like roots from the centre.

He shrugged his good shoulder. 'Well there was getting thrown in George's dungeon, then Regina's. Then there was a fight with Rumpelstiltskin, then a dragon and a swim across a pretty big lake...'

'You've had a busy few days,' she commiserated.

'It was worth it to get back to you,' he replied, taking her hand and interlacing their fingers.

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><p>Charming was in her bed for the first time, but this was not how she had imagined it.<p>

He had slept all morning and into the late afternoon, lying on his side because his back was badly bruised from being thrown around so much lately. Doc had checked him over thoroughly, bound his shoulder up with healing herbs and was satisfied that if he got some rest and avoided aggravating the injury for a while it would be fine.

Snow had tried to leave him to sleep in peace while she got on with chores around the camp, but she kept being drawn back to his side like a magnet. Between jobs she had sat beside him, watching over him and using all her willpower in keeping herself from waking him, but desperate to talk to him, to hold him.

She put the back of her hand to his forehead, relieved to feel that the fever was starting to come down and he was a little cooler. And relieved that she had a good reason to wake him up. Doc had agreed that it would be a good idea for him to eat something.

'Charming?' He stirred and murmured under his breath then relaxed again.

'James?' She called again, thinking maybe his real name would do the trick. She stroked a lock of hair back from his forehead. 'James?'

Charming woke slowly, blinked and then focused on Snow, smiling at the sight of her in a way that warmed her heart.

'There you are,' she said gently. 'How are you feeling?'

'Better,' he replied.

She nodded towards the plate of bread and cheese she had placed next to them. 'I brought you dinner.'

She helped him sit up so he wouldn't have to put weight on his injured shoulder, and then handed him some bread and then bit a chunk off her own piece. Charming turned his over in his hands.

'You're not hungry?'

He looked up at her pensively.

'There's something bothering you?' she asked.

'Snow, there's something I need to tell you. I've been meaning to tell you for a while, but things have been so...' he tailed off.

'Hectic? Bizarre? Dangerous?'

'Exactly. Look I should have told you before I asked you to marry me, but I just... I was so relieved when you woke from the curse that all I could think about was kissing you and holding you and never letting you out of my sight for the rest of our lives.'

Snow smiled and took his hand. 'I know the feeling, Charming. You can tell me anything,'

'I hope so, but I will understand if it changes how you feel about me and about our engagement.'

'You're my true love, James,' she reassured him. Nothing is ever going to make me love you any less, I promise you that.'

He winced at the use of his brother's name. 'You should hear me out before you promise that,' he warned, his voice heavy now that he was really going to say it.

'First of all, my name isn't James. It's David. And secondly, I'm not a prince. I'm not King George's son. I'm just a shepherd.'

Snow smiled and squeezed his hand more tightly, 'I knew you didn't look like a James!' she said.

David huffed a laugh, 'James was my identical twin brother. I look exactly like a James.'

'No, you look exactly like a David, or a Charming. Not a James. And I knew you weren't King George's son. He told me. That's why I had to tell you I didn't love you. Because he said he'd kill you. And I only believed that he'd do it when he said that you weren't really his son.'

'You knew I wasn't a prince? Why didn't you say anything?'

'Like I said, hectic, bizarre, dangerous. We've only had time to say the most important things. That we love each other and that we will always find each other.'

'You're not upset with me?'

She shook her head and lifted his hand to kiss it. 'How could I be upset with you when you risked everything for me? You were afraid that I wouldn't love you, no matter what?'

'I was afraid you'd realise you needed to marry someone who was really noble, really a royal.'

'You think you have to be royal to be noble? Charming, King George was born royal but he is the farthest thing from noble I have ever seen. You were a shepherd, but you were never just that. You are the kindest, bravest, most noble man I have ever met, and when we marry you will be a prince. You'll be one because you deserve to be and because you'll be good at it, because you care about doing the right thing. And because I love you more than anything.'

Charming pulled her into his arms. 'I love you too and I'm going to do my absolute best every day to deserve you and to make you so happy.'

'You've already made me happier than I could ever have imagined. Now, eat something, and then I want you to tell me a story. I need to hear the story of how a shepherd became a prince and found his true love.'

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><p>Snow lay curled into Charming's embrace, ready to hear a thrilling tale.<p>

'Once upon a time,' he began. 'There was a shepherd, who lived on a farm and wished everyday for the opportunity to meet his true love.'

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><p>Snow stared at the roof of the tent listening to the sound of seven snoring dwarves and wishing she was sleeping in the arms of her fiancé. He'd fallen asleep in her bed, so she'd taken his now that it had dried out. Though it was far from restful. Clearly Charming had only been able to sleep the night before because he'd been so completely exhausted and feverish.<p>

Tomorrow night they were going to have to rethink the sleeping arrangements. She was a bandit of the forest and he was a shepherd. They didn't need to be so high and mighty in their rules about propriety. And practically speaking, they'd never get any sleep this way. It was no way to begin a mission to win back the kingdoms.

The darkness was fading and dawn was on its way. She could make out more distinct shapes, Grumpy's beard, Doc's hat, Bashful's pickaxe.

She sighed and gave up trying to sleep, and just like the night before, she wrapped her blanket around her shoulders and tiptoed out of the tent, careful not to wake her friends. She needed fresh air, and the sound of the water lapping the shore and the birds preparing their dawn chorus would be far more soothing than the dwarves' deafening snores.

As she approached the water she could make out the outline of another person against the beginnings of the dawn light and she smiled in happiness.

'Snow?' Charming's hushed voice carried clearly across the camp to her ears. 'I'm so glad you're awake. I missed you.'

'I missed you too. I couldn't sleep with you so close by.'

'And with all that snoring too, I bet!'

She laughed and leaned against his chest, sighing in contentment as his arms slipped around her waist. He leaned down and their lips met in a passionate kiss.

'How come you're up so early,' she said when paused for breath. 'Were you in pain?'

'Actually I feel a lot better. It's just habit. I'm a farmer. We get up early.'

'That's good, because I'm a bandit and we do too.'

She rested her head against his chest and allowed his warmth to suffuse her and the sound of his heartbeat to ground her.

'So, we have some time before our friends wake up,' she said. 'What shall we do with it?'

'I can't think of anything I'd rather do than just watch this sunrise with my true love safe in my arms.'

'I think I can arrange for that wish to come true,' she replied.

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><p><strong>And they all lived happily ever after... eventually!<strong>

**The end.**

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><p><strong>Until next time, girls and boys, sleep tight and don't let the bedbugs bite!<strong>

**Thanks for reading. Reviews = happiness!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I've added a second chapter to this story because, following a PM conversation with Sara KM, I wanted to iron out the apparent discrepancy between Leroy not knowing that David's curse name was the same as his real name or that he had a twin brother (in 2x13 Tiny), but then knowing that David was a shepherd (in 3x02 Lost Girl). My theory is that they got the basics but were busy and never got around to hearing the full story. **

**I also wanted to see how Charming would comfort Snow every night with her curse dreams in the burning room when there seems to have been such a gap between him waking her from the curse and them actually getting married. They have to have been spending the night together before he became her husband... And I'm in the mood for some really soppy loved up Snow and Charming. **

**The references to the dwarves snoring are inspired by the Disney cartoon rather than anything we've seen in OUAT.**

**So anyway, this chapter picks up where chapter one left off and takes place before the scene where Regina interrupts Snow's revolutionary recruitment speech and destroys her confidence in Lost Girl. It also contains a hinted foreshadowing of events in 3x19 A Curious Thing so it assumes you've seen everything up to the end of season 3. I warn you now, it's a full on, no holds barred slush-fest. I hope you enjoy.**

**Disclaimer in chapter 1.**

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><p><strong>A Rose By Any Other Name<strong>

**Chapter 2**

Snow wished it could be like this forever. The water was so peaceful, lapping gently against the shore, the newly risen sun gilding the crests of the tiny waves. The trees along the edge of the beach were bright green with new leaves and she could hear the breeze rustling them gently against one another, like the soft kisses Charming was peppering across her shoulder as she leaned against his chest.

She lifted their intertwined hands letting the sun glint off her ring before smiling into a kiss against his palm.

They'd hardly had any time together really, always pulled apart just as they began to come together, but all of this felt so right that there was familiarity even in the newness of it. She already knew his hands. He'd helped balance her across fallen logs as they'd walked through the forest towards the troll bridge to retrieve his mother's ring. She already knew the feel of his arms around her. He'd held her so close when she'd come to him at George's castle after receiving his letter and even though she'd had to break his heart, she had gathered the strength to do it from his embrace. She already knew his lips. His kiss had saved her when she'd lost herself in the forgetting potion and he showed her that his love and faith were strong enough to find her again and lend her strength to let go of her rage at the past and embrace a future filled with hope and love.

She turned her head and met his lips with hers, whispering his name into their kiss, 'Charming...'

'Ahem!'

A pointed sounding cough behind them alerted them to the fact that they were no longer alone.

'Achoo!' The cough was followed by a sneeze close by and they turned to see a semi circle of men around them, wearing varying expressions: thrilled (Happy), embarrassed but pleased (Bashful, and Doc too), bemused (Dopey), slightly disgusted (Sneezy, although Sneezy's expression seemed more a preoccupation with his allergies) and really disgusted (Grumpy). Sleepy was not in the semi-circle, but curled up on the breakfast table, snoring contentedly.

'It's breakfast time,' Grumpy said in a very disgruntled tone.

'We'll be right there,' Snow replied trying to keep the amusement out of her voice.

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><p>Breakfast was always a rowdy and crowded affair with the dwarves and today the table was even more crowded than usual with the wonderful addition of her fiancé. She loved thinking of him that way, and the only word she would ever consider swapping it for was husband, which she hoped to do as soon as possible.<p>

Needing only one hand to manage her porridge, Snow held Charming's hand throughout, partly because now they were really together she never wanted to let him go and partly so she could give it an encouraging squeeze every time Grumpy directed a narrow-eyed glare of suspicion at him from across the table.

'Guys, we have something to tell you,' Snow announced when everyone had finished eating.

'What?' Grumpy demanded, peremptorily.

'I told you all yesterday that Charming and I have decided that we're going to take the Kingdoms from Regina and King George. You all know why Regina wants to kill me. You deserve to know why we now have another enemy in King George,' she said, turning to smile encouragingly at Charming, knowing he was still a little nervous about how the others might react to the truth about his past.

'We know why,' Grumpy chipped in before Charming could speak. 'The cancelled engagement with Princess Abigail. Spurned lovers bring a whole heap of trouble; doesn't take a genius to figure that out.'

Grumpy understood that true love was to be cherished, but he also knew that acting on it could have consequences, whichever decision you made. He'd learned that from Nova. If there was an angry ex-fiancée, it was likely there was also an angry almost father in law, and no wonder there was also an angry father. And when these angry people were royals, there was also pride and reputation at stake and that meant the swearing of blood feuds and the drawing of swords.

'There's a lot more to it than that, Grumpy,' said Snow.

Grumpy huffed. There was a lot to it all right. He crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow.

'Yes, I am sorry to bring more trouble to your door,' Charming said and Grumpy narrowed his lips into a thin line.

The prince seemed very sincere, and there was enough of Dreamy left in him that Grumpy was willing to recognise that Charming's true love for Snow and hers for him had saved her life from the sleeping curse, but the fact remained that Snow was now planning to take on two murderous monarchs. This prince had better be up to the job, that's all.

'It's quite a long story,' Charming said, clearing his throat nervously at all of the eyes on him. He'd never spoken in front of this many people before, and this was Snow's family. He imagined it wouldn't have felt dissimilar to this trying to convince her father, had he still been living, that he was worthy of her. He almost missed King Midas. All the proof he'd wanted of the worth of his future son in law was a dragon's head for his collection, and in fact, Charming had felt a lot less nervous facing the dragon.

'Spit it out,' Grumpy said, 'We ain't got all day, there's work to do.'

Charming took a steadying breath and drew strength from Snow's hand squeezing his. He'd already told her the truth and she loved him anyway. How bad could this be?

'Ok, the truth is, I'm not really a prince, or at least I wasn't born one. I grew up a shepherd and I only posed as a prince when King George needed a son to kill a dragon so that he could claim a bounty from King Midas to bring his kingdom out of bankruptcy. I made a deal that I'd help him with the dragon if he gave my mother and I enough gold to save our farm. But King Midas changed his deal with George. He didn't want to give him gold, he wanted to marry his daughter to George's son and merge the kingdoms. George accepted the deal and told me that if I didn't go along with it he'd kill my mother and burn down my farm. I didn't have much of a choice until I could find my mother somewhere safe to stay, so I was playing the part until I could figure out what to do. That's when I met Snow.'

Grumpy stared evenly at Charming, grudgingly accepting that he probably would have done the same thing under the circumstances. He wasn't going to say that out loud though. 'So you ditched the princess,' he said.

'I did, but Grumpy, the marriage wasn't what Abigail wanted either. She's reunited with her true love Frederick now. He was a knight who had been accidentally cursed into gold by Midas. I helped her break the curse and from what I hear Midas is as thrilled as she is that their wedding is back on. Midas isn't my enemy. It's possible he may even be an ally. But King George is furious with me. That the deal is off, that I rejected him as a father. He's determined to get revenge and he is totally ruthless. My mother is safe now, but our farm is gone. He did what he said he would. He burned it. I don't think he'll stop coming after me until I stop him.'

Snow looked around at her friends. 'I know this is more than you all bargained for, and we'll understand if you don't want to join us in this fight but Charming and I have decided what we must do. Regina is not going to stop until she's destroyed me and King George feels the same way about Charming. And George and Regina are allies now. If we try to stop one, we have to stop both.'

'We'll follow you anywhere, Snow, you know that.' Grumpy said gruffly, and the others nodded in agreement.

'And it looks like the two of you are a package deal now...Achoo!' Sneezy added.

'And King George is our enemy too,' Grumpy said. 'I've been in his dungeons, and we lost our brother Stealthy in that castle.'

'Snow told me about Stealthy. I'm very sorry.'

The dwarves exchanged glances, communicating silently.

'If it's what Snow wants, we'll help.' Doc said, speaking for all of them.

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><p>The morning was spent making plans to begin their mission. They would need more than just the nine of them, more even than the eleven they would be if Red and Granny joined them, as she hoped they would when they received the bluebird she'd sent with a message for them. The more they talked things through, the bigger and more overwhelming the task became. Regina and George had armies of trained knights, not to mention Regina's dark magic.<p>

What did they have? Hope and a belief in doing the right thing. It didn't seem like very much. Snow sighed and turned away from the table, and stood at the water's edge. She rubbed her tired eyes, her shoulders slumping.

'Snow,' Charming's voice was low and reassuring in her ear, his arms coming around her, pulling her against his chest and she rested her head there, allowing the weariness to overcome her as he stroked her hair.

'I know it seems unattainable, but look, you have all of us gladly following you anywhere without even trying. Imagine what you can do when you start to put your mind to it. People will follow you. They already love you as their princess. They've harboured you from Regina's knights all this time. When they know who you are as a leader they will want to help you. They'll know that you don't want a crown just to feel powerful. They'll know that you only want to make their lives better.'

'Charming,' she whispered, his name a caress. She loved him so much for his faith in her. 'I just don't know where to start,' she admitted. 'How can I lead when I don't know where I'm going?'

'You're not storming the castles today, and you're not doing this alone. We just start small. One person at a time, one village at a time. We're just letting them know that they don't have to live under the threat of Regina or George's wrath if they choose to help you fight back. You're giving them a choice and they have to make it for themselves. I have faith that they will see that you are the right choice.'

'You make it sound easy.'

'You have no idea how easy you are to love.'

'I could say the same about you.'

'You know, this will all seem easier when you've rested. Have you even slept at all since the curse?'

She took a deep breath and sighed. 'No, that first night I was too excited and then last night...'

'It was pretty noisy.' She could hear the smile in his voice, referring tactfully to the snoring of their companions, and she smiled too.

'Come on,' he said gently, bending and slipping an arm behind her knees and lifting her into his arms. 'All these plans can wait. Sleep for a while and then we can start over.'

She almost told him to put her down. His shoulder was still healing, and if she was going to be a leader she should be strong, she could walk herself to bed. Right now she just didn't want to. He was right, she was exhausted and not just from the last two sleepless nights. The time she'd spent trying to forget him when they'd parted after their first meeting, then the heartache of finding him and losing him. And before that, the years running from Regina. It had been such a long time since she'd been able to truly relax, but cradled in his arms she felt safe and loved. She linked her arms around his neck and, sighed contentedly and let herself drift, so that she was already almost asleep when he carried her into her tent and laid her on the bed, smoothing the blanket over her.

'I love you,' he whispered, just touching his lips to hers, so that he wouldn't wake her.

She thought the words in return but was fast asleep before she could say them.

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><p>Charming watched her sleeping and was overwhelmed by his love for her and his desire to protect her from harm. She seemed so vulnerable now. He had seen her angry, scared, happy, brave, heartbroken but determined. He'd seen her laughing and crying, fighting and running, and saving his life, but he'd never seen her at rest until now.<p>

That heartbreaking moment of seeing her in her coffin before their kiss had broken the curse, that was not rest, he could see now that that terrible stasis of the curse was nothing like her true sleep.

Now, a gentle smile remained on her lips so that she still looked so alive. She curled herself onto her side and snuggled into the blanket.

He smoothed her hair back from her face and forced himself to stand and go back to the others. He knew how weighed down she felt by the task ahead and hoped that maybe while she slept they could break down some small steps she could take in the days ahead that would help her see her path more clearly.

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><p>Back at the table the dwarves were still discussing the strategy, Doc drawing marks on a map and noting down information.<p>

'How's Snow?' Grumpy asked.

'She's asleep. She was exhausted,' Charming replied.

Grumpy grunted his agreement and crossed his arms. 'So. Now we're alone, I think it's time that we made a few things clear.'

Charming looked around at the others, who mirrored Grumpy's stance, arms crossed, chins raised.

'Ok,' he replied, resisting the urge to cross his own arms, not wanting to look defensive.

'You think you're good enough for our Snow?' Grumpy demanded.

Charming glanced at each face in turn. Even Bashful was managing to meet his eye with a look of determination. He knew he had some work to do in winning them over but in truth, he could have been annoyed, after all, even with all their separations, he'd met Snow before she'd met the dwarves. She'd met Grumpy first of all in King George's dungeon, where she'd come to see him. So it could be argued they had no greater claim to set themselves up as her protectors than he did, nevertheless he was nothing but grateful to them for taking care of her when he could not, and for being so fiercely on her side, even in challenging him. He was more than willing to prove himself to them.

'I don't know about good enough,' he said honestly. 'I don't know who could be, but I swear to you that I love her and I would die to protect her.'

Grumpy stared at him for a long moment and he held eye contact, letting the other man see how much he meant every word.

'Ok,' Grumpy acknowledged finally, apparently grudgingly satisfied by what he saw. 'But you'd better understand, if you ever hurt her, we'll kill you.'

'Understood.'

'Just so you know, we'll be watching you,' Grumpy said.

'I would hope so,' he replied. 'And you'll see that I will be doing all I can to be worthy of her. I was thinking I could begin by coming up with something to help her make a start with all this. Maybe you could help me with that.'

'Ok. Maybe we could,' Grumpy nodded in assent, uncrossing his arms.

'Yes, we can do that.' Doc agreed, uncrossing his arms too, as the others did the same, nodding in relief that the tension was over. Happy in particular looked grateful for the reprieve. It didn't come easily to him to keep a smile off his face, and he was thrilled to see how much Charming loved their beloved Snow.

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><p>Charming and the dwarves discussed the matter, deciding that they needed to weigh up the pros and cons of the various villages in the region to settle on the best place to start, somewhere that Snow would receive a warm welcome at the very least. After that, they would need to plan where best to build support so that it would spread and grow.<p>

Grumpy looked up at Charming, rolling his eyes theatrically. Charming was obviously doing his best to concentrate, but every few moments his gaze would drift over to the tent where Snow slept and he clearly longed to return to her side.

He cleared his throat. 'Am I boring you?'

Charming shook himself and returned his attention to the map. 'No, sorry, carry on,' he replied guiltily. 'I'm listening.'

'Why don't you go check on her,' Grumpy growled, feigning annoyance. Secretly he would have been eager to check on Snow himself, had he been able to think of a good reason. He supposed being in love and newly engaged constituted a reason for almost any foolish act of excessive concern.

Charming wrestled with himself for a moment, before accepting it was no good. Snow would be the best person to decide the most sensible option from their shortlist of sympathetic villages, so really there was nothing to be gained by discussing it further without her. Or so he rationalised to himself. He just really needed to be with her.

'You're right. I should do that,' he replied, making his escape.

* * *

><p>Snow still lay curled up fast asleep as he sat down beside her. He reached out and gently stroked her forehead, marvelling at the warm softness of her skin, her long dark lashes against the blush of her cheeks.<p>

The sight of her so relaxed and the sound of her soft breaths eased tension in his muscles that he hadn't fully realised he was carrying. He knew it was irrational, but after all they'd been through to find each other and be together, he couldn't relax with her out of his sight.

He sighed in contentment and leaned his back against her sack of belongings. Now that he was beside her again, he had no intention of moving until she awoke.

The gentle rise and fall of her chest lulled him until he became drowsy himself, his blinks lengthening until his eyes remained closed.

* * *

><p>Charming jolted awake, his heart pounding. He reached for his sword, unsure what had woken him. A glance assured him that Snow was still sleeping next to him and he scanned the rest of the tent, looking and listening for a threat, until a whimper drew his attention back to his fiancée. Yes, she was still sleeping, but it was no longer peaceful and he realised it was her troubled sleep that had woken him.<p>

He left his sword in its scabbard and instead reached over to soothe her furrowed brow. Her breathing was agitated and tears on her cheeks showed how distressed she was as she shook her head as though in denial of what she was seeing in her nightmare.

'Snow?' he called, wiping her tears with his thumbs and stroking her cheeks softly. 'Snow, it's only a dream, it's all right, come back to me.'

* * *

><p>Regina must have captured her again, that was all she could think. She couldn't remember how she got here. One minute she was dreaming of a little girl with blonde curls and Charming's smile, and the next she was in this room with red curtains and no door, no windows and the fire was darting flames at her; everything was burning.<p>

She turned around and around, eyes wide with panic, but there was no way out, she was trapped and alone. Where was Charming? Had Regina captured him too? Was he even alive? She drew in a gasping breath and choked out his name into the smoke. Oh god, where was he? She couldn't escape and she needed him.

She ducked into a crouch, her heart pounding with terror as the fire leapt at her, and she tried desperately to see through the flames, searching again and again for some way out, some rescue. She called out over and over, called for her love, her Charming to come and find her as he had promised he always would.

It was hopeless. How could she ever escape a room with no door? How could he possibly find her? Was this how she was going to die? Choking and burning and all alone? She cried bitter tears, her hopes all crumbling to ash around her. She had lost her true love after such a short time, she would never see her Charming again, and never again would she feel that overwhelming love when their eyes locked and she knew she was his everything, just as he was hers. She would never dance with him, never marry him, never make that beautiful little girl with him and share his joy in watching her grow into the best of both of them.

She covered her head with her arms and shut her eyes tightly, trying to shield her face from the heat, trying to block the roaring fire from her ears.

Consumed by grief and terror and despair, she waited for death...

...And waited, but instead of death, she felt familiar warm hands gently stroking her cheeks, a voice already more dear to her than any other sound in the world, calling her name, reassuring, soothing, calling her back to safety and love.

She opened her eyes and threw herself into Charming's arms, gasping his name, shaking, sobbing with relief.

'It's ok, you're safe, I'm here,' he murmured over and over again as she clung to his words and his body for dear life, and where there were raging, burning flames, now there were his strong arms holding her close against his chest, shielding her, rocking her gently, his steady heartbeat guiding hers to slow and calm.

'It's ok, just breathe, slow and steady,' he encouraged. 'It was just a nightmare, you're safe here with me.'

Keeping one arm around her, he reached over and lit the candle next to her bedroll and then pulled her in tight against his body again.

'When I was a little boy and I had nightmares, my mother would light a candle and it would take the dark thoughts away,' he explained gently. 'Do you want to tell me what you dreamed about?'

The tiny flame cast a soft glow in the dim light of the tent, and fire once again became a source of comfort, light and warmth against the darkness and cold. Here in Charming's arms, she knew she was safe.

She took a deep shuddering breath and told him about the room and as she spoke, watching the flame, taking comfort in Charming's embrace, the horror faded until it was just a memory, with no power to hurt, or even frighten her.

Even after she'd finished speaking he made no move to let her go and she wondered if he needed the contact as much as she did. She hadn't felt this safe and protected since before her mother died. No matter how much her father had loved her, the grief he'd felt for his wife had not allowed him the strength to comfort her. Charming was there with her fully, body, mind and soul and the sense of completion that his devotion gave her was something she knew she would never take for granted.

'I'm not leaving you alone tonight,' Charming said after a few minutes of silence. 'I don't care that we're not married yet, I don't care what anybody might think. We don't need to rush into anything but I don't need to wait for a wedding to be your husband. I need to be here for you.' His voice was quiet, but filled with conviction and it thrilled her to hear it.

'And I won't be apart from you ever again,' she replied. 'I don't care what it looks like either. This is our tent now, and not just because the dwarves snore.'

Charming laughed and she loved the sound of it. She looked him in the eye and matched his conviction with her own. 'I want to fall asleep in your arms every night and wake up to your kisses every morning. And wedding or not, I am your wife.'

* * *

><p>At dinner Snow looked over the list of villages and chose one in which to begin their campaign the following morning. It was top of the list for her because one night last winter, during the worst blizzard she'd seen in years, she had sought shelter in the blacksmith's forge, but the smith's wife had refused to allow her to sleep on the sooty floor, instead inviting her in to share the family's supper, and setting her to sleep before the hearth enveloped in soft blankets and pillows. That night had warmed not only her body, but her weary heart and given her much needed hope in goodness. She felt confident that those kind people would at least hear her out, and she smiled her gratitude to Charming and the dwarves, for finding her a hopeful starting point for their huge undertaking.<p>

That decided, Snow announced the new sleeping arrangements and the dwarves adjusted to the news with remarkable forbearance. Grumpy grumbled as expected, but knew there was no point arguing. He'd had enough sleepless nights after he'd lost Nova to accept the couple's point that it took a very deep sleeper to survive more than a night with his brethren without being driven to violence for a moment's peace and quiet.

And if he hadn't acknowledged that, the little he'd witnessed when he'd heard Snow cry out and gone to check she was safe would have been enough to convince him that a little comfort wouldn't go amiss. Not only that, but he would grudgingly admit, if only to himself, that the loving care Charming had shown her demonstrated that he was worth at least the benefit of the doubt. Though he'd still be keeping a close eye on the shepherd.

* * *

><p>They turned in early. Snow had slept a couple of hours that afternoon, but still hadn't caught up on all she'd missed, and the terrifying nightmare had worn her out. She was grateful for Charming's arm to lean on as she was almost asleep on her feet.<p>

She snuggled into him under the covers and sighed in contentment as he began caressing circles on her back with his palm.

'Thank you for today,' she whispered.

'What for?' he asked surprised.

She looked up into his eyes and stroked her fingertips feather-light over his brow. 'For everything. For being up before dawn waiting for me. For holding me as the sun rose. For having so much faith in me to succeed in our plans. For finding me a small step to start with. For waking me from my nightmare and holding me until I felt safe. For loving me and wanting to be here with me every day and every night for the rest of our lives. Thank you for all of it.'

'You never have to thank me for those things. I love you Snow, I couldn't be anywhere else and I'm so grateful that you want me with you. That you look at me and see more than a poor shepherd, and that you accept my help and my love.'

'Today has been one of the happiest days of my life,' she said. 'I've been overwhelmed, exhausted and terrified, but I haven't been this happy since I was a little girl.'

'I always dreamed of love, but I never imagined it could feel like this,' he confessed in return. 'I'm so filled with love I feel like I can't contain it. I want to shout it out across the lake. I want to tell everyone in the realm that Snow White is my true love and I'm hers. I never thought I could be this lucky.'

'It's not luck,' she smiled. 'We're two halves of one heart, meant to be together and love each other forever.'

Charming answered with a kiss that curled her toes and woke something deep and low down in her belly that, even though tonight they would only be sleeping, she knew wouldn't wait long to be satisfied.

* * *

><p>It wasn't long before Snow fell asleep; she was too exhausted to talk much longer after their kiss. Charming watched over her, memorising the curve of her lips and her brows, the faint marks where her dimples appeared in her smile, the shape of her eyes.<p>

He hoped so hard that she would sleep peacefully tonight. She needed the rest and he couldn't bear to think of her suffering again as she had in her nightmare that afternoon.

Seeing her sobbing and clinging to him in terror had been unbearable, heartbreaking. He would gladly die to protect her from anything that could hurt her, but how could he protect her from her own dreams?

Charming saw the change in her expression, the faint smile fading to be replaced by agitated fear, and his heart sank. He reached for the candle and lit it in readiness. He held her close and stroked her cheek gently.

'Snow? Wake up now, come back to me. I'm here with you and you're safe. It's only a dream.'

* * *

><p>Snow was back in the burning room. Again she didn't remember entering, but this time she knew that she hadn't been captured by Regina and she knew she wasn't in real danger. As terrifying as it was, she knew it was only a dream world, and that in the real world she was cradled safely in Charming's arms. She crouched as low as she could, closing her eyes, shielding herself from the flames and waited for the moment when the nightmare would loosen its hold on her enough that she could hear his voice calling her home to him.<p>

She opened her eyes and the first thing she saw was his smile.

* * *

><p><strong>And many years later they all lived happily ever after. I really, really hope.<strong>

**The end.**

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><p><strong>Thanks for reading. Reviews make my day!<strong>


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